NBA notebook: Feuding stars won’t discuss each other

NEW ORLEANS – Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant had plenty to say at their first All-Star appearance.

Just not about one another.

Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic, who finished second in the event a year ago, says he has original and creative ideas as he prepares for the NBA slam dunk contest that will be held Saturday night as part of All-Star Weekend in New Orleans. Associated Press/
Jim Mone

Reunited on the Western Conference All-Star team, the former Oklahoma City Thunder teammates – until Durant left for Golden State last summer – will have to practice together Saturday and play together Sunday night.

If either of them expects it to be awkward – particularly after the way they jawed at one another in a recent regular-season game – they weren’t discussing it Friday.

Westbrook smirked and responded to questions about any potential awkward interaction with Durant or the other Warriors with thoughts on New York City’s Fashion Week.

“Man, you know what? Fashion week has been great. You seen fashion week? You been paying attention to fashion week?” Westbrook responded to a question about Durant. “Man. There’s a lot of great-looking things at fashion week, man. I’m looking forward to new collections. It’s been good, man.”

Two questions later came this gem from Westbrook:

“Man, you see the new public school clothing? Crazy, dog. They got like the new Jordan hoodie. … It’s crazy man. A lot of new, great things at fashion week I’ve seen, man.

“What other designers? Gucci? The new Gucci stuff is dope. Good stuff, man.”

For his part, Durant was curt, vague or sometimes critical of the media for obsessing over things that aren’t important, not to him anyway.

Durant used a total of five words to respond to his first question about the opportunity to play with Westbrook again:

“I’m excited to be here.”

Later, Durant said more directly, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

OFFICERS WITH the National Basketball Players Association said the problems between Charles Oakley and the Madison Square Garden chairman, James Dolan, could impact decisions future free agents make about playing for the New York Knicks.

Oakley was removed from MSG earlier this month, pulled away by security guards, handcuffed, arrested and eventually banned from entering the arena. That ban has since been lifted, but the long-strained relationship between Oakley – a very popular player when he was a Knick – and the team remains tenuous at best.

“I think it’s kind of a personal thing,” said NBPA vice president Anthony Tolliver of the Sacramento Kings. “I think some guys, for sure, notice it and some of those guys have made it known that it will affect them. Other guys, maybe not.”

Added NBPA secretary-treasurer James Jones of the Cleveland Cavaliers: “It’s kind of self-evident.”

AARON GORDON isn’t giving any hints on what he’ll do for an All-Star dunk contest encore.

The runner-up in last year’s contest, Gordon is likely considered the favorite Saturday night. The Orlando Magic forward lost a dunk-off a year ago to Zach LaVine of Minnesota, who is injured and not defending his title.

“You’re going to have to wait until Saturday to see my ideas,” Gordon said. “It’s going to be innovative. It’s going to be technologically oriented. It’s going to be original and creative. You’ll see.”

Gordon will go up against DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers, Glenn Robinson III of the Indiana Pacers and Derrick Jones Jr. of the Phoenix Suns.

THE NBA warned that Texas could be overlooked for future events because of a proposed “bathroom bill” targeting transgender people.

The Texas legislation is similar to a North Carolina law that prompted the league to move the All-Star Game out of that state. It would require people to use bathrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificate.

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